In March of this year, a Colorado jury awarded a verdict of nearly four million dollars to the families of three families whose loved ones had died of cardiac arrest after being treated at dialysis centers run by DaVita, Inc. DaVita operates hundreds of dialysis centers throughout the country. Additional lawsuits have been brought against the manufacturer of the dialysis treatment drug Granuflo, used in the treatment of the Colorado patients and others until it was recalled by the FDA in 2012. A jury in California recently awarded seven million dollars to the family of a man who committed suicide in a drug treatment center operated by American Addiction Centers. According to the lawsuit, the patient never saw a doctor while he was at the facility, and that he was left alone in a room with razor blades, even though he had experiences symptoms of delusion. The jury found that inadequate supervision and failure to give the patient proper medical care led to his suicide.
Wrongful Death Attorneys
Lawsuits like these illustrate some of the issues involved in modern treatment centers run by large corporations, often with minimal supervision by medical doctors. The California court noted that American Addiction Centers solicited patients through telemarketing, pressuring sales agents to meet sales quotas, with little regard to the patients’ medical needs. Medical care centers unconnected with hospitals are becoming more common. Recently, a network surgery centers have been advertising low cost, outpatient spinal surgery, a procedure traditionally performed in a hospital. These private facilities are not connected with hospitals, and are usually outside of the patients’ usual network of preferred physicians.
Do Your Research Before Choosing Medical Treatment
Private treatment facilities usually provide high quality care, but it is important to do your research before choosing any medical treatment for yourself or a loved one. Understaffed and inadequately equipped facilities can do more harm than good. Make sure the facility is staffed with licensed physicians and other medical professionals. Check the Better Business Bureau for complaints, and search the internet for reports of lawsuits against the facility.
If a family member dies because of substandard care in a treatment facility, North Carolina law allows the family to sue for damages in a wrongful death action. The family may be recompensed for medical and funeral expenses, lost income of the family member, and for their loss of companionship.
North Carolina Wrongful Death Lawyers
There are time limits for filing wrongful death actions in North Carolina, so do not wait to consult an experienced wrongful death attorney if a loved one has died after being treated in a residential or outpatient facility. Sometimes, facilities may even try to hide evidence or falsify reports when a patient has died due to negligent care. If there is any doubt at all about the treatment your loved one received, a wrongful death attorney can help obtain the evidence needed to show exactly what happened. Talk to one of the attorneys at Campbell & Associates for a free, confidential case evaluation. We can be reached any time at 704-769-2316.
